HCV Activities
- In April 2020, CDC published recommendations stating that all pregnant women should be screened for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, except in settings where the prevalence of HCV infection is <0.1%.
- In October 2023, CDC published recommendations stating that clinicians should test 1) all perinatally exposed infants ages 2–6 months for hepatitis C virus (HCV) with a nucleic acid test (NAT) for detection of ribonucleic acid (RNA); 2) all perinatally exposed infants and children aged 7 – 17 months who have not previously been tested should receive NAT RNA; and 3) all perinatally exposed children 18 months and older who have not previously been tested should receive an HCV antibody test with reflex to NAT for HCV RNA when antibody is reactive. Additionally, new parents and/or clinicians should consult a health care provider with expertise in pediatric hepatitis C management whenever an infant or child has detectable HCV RNA.
- As of 2021, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, the Infectious Disease Society of America, the US Preventive Services Task Force, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, and the Society for Maternal-Fetal-Medicine recommend screening all pregnant persons for HCV infection.
- CDC worked with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists on creating a perinatal HCV case definition that will aid in identifying pregnant women living with HCV infection and their infants.
Hepatitis C Resources for Health Care Providers